


Same Time Tomorrow

by foolish_snail



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Buckle up, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Lesbian Disaster Amity Blight, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Burn, The Good Witch Azura Book Club (The Owl House), Touch-Starved, Touch-Starved Amity, Tutor!Amity, Tutoring, Wait thats not a tag yet??? Oooo its boutta be, thisll be a wild ride lads
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:22:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26564287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foolish_snail/pseuds/foolish_snail
Summary: Amity is asked by her math teacher to tutor a struggling student.She was expecting someone bored, apathetic, disrespectful, and rude.What she wasn't expecting was Luz Noceda.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 73
Kudos: 418





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to just be a writing warm up so I could keep writing my other fic.. 3,000 words into it I realized I was already in too deep. 
> 
> Hello!!!!!  
> Welcome to this fun little side project of mine!!!  
> I recently was looking for shows to watch to fill the hole SU left me with, and I absolutely Fell In Love with the Owl House. And Lumity. So here we are.  
> I can't promise regular updates, but with school back in session for me I generally am able to have a stronger routine and motivate myself more!!  
> No warnings for this chapter, but if there are for future ones I will have them in the beginning notes!!  
> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy :)!!

Amity would rather be anywhere in the universe than sitting at this stupid table. 

Normally she didn’t mind her tutoring sessions, it was a short amount of time and it was a decent way to get extra credit for her classes- not to mention it would look good on college applications. 

The kids she would tutor generally ranged from apathetic to absolutely miserable. It was an easy gig, where she could walk them through a problem or talk them through an essay and all would be fine. She hardly saw the same kids more than two or three times. 

This however, was a special case. 

So much so, that her math teacher had to ask her to stay after class to talk in private. Amity instinctively worried that she had made some mistake and was about to have a serious talk about behaviour or, God forbid, a slipping grade. Recounting her day, she tried to think of any missteps throughout the day that would warrant an after class discussion. 

Thankfully, it wasn’t about her. Ms. Castle described an Algebra student who was struggling in her studies. She simply wanted to ask if Amity would be willing to assist. 

Looking back, she really wished she would have asked for more details before agreeing.

It wouldn't be a one time thing like she was used to. Amity would meet with the student within a two week period, leading up to their midterm final. She had fourteen days to get a failing, likely disinterested student up to shape- not to mention her own workload that came with finals. Fine, no big deal. She could handle it.

Well, she assumed she could. The grateful look on Ms. Castle’s face made the routine pride swell in Amity’s chest. “Thank you very much, Miss Blight. I’ll ask Luz to meet you in the library.”

Her pleased smile was overshadowed by Amity’s brain short circuiting. 

She would tutor Luz Noceda. As in the Luz Noceda who once had released a cluster of spiders in the cafeteria, causing exterminators to shut the school down for the weekend. The Luz Noceda who had left Skara blowing up the group chat in horror after she had ruined cheer tryouts. The Luz Noceda who auditioned for the school play, utilizing raw sausage links and copious amounts of ketchup to portray a realistic, sickening death. Amity recalls the chill that ran up and down her spine when she witnessed the video on Instagram. 

Maybe she could still worm her way out of the deal.

Except then Ms. Castle was shaking her hand, and thanking her profusely, and the next hour of students began to trickle in, and Amity just  _ stood there _ . 

She really, really wishes she had asked for more details. 

Walking to the appointment, Amity tried to keep herself from ruminating. “It’s just two weeks.” She held one of her textbooks tight to her chest as she passed clusters of friend groups. “She probably won’t even need  _ that _ long. It’ll be fine.” A few people glanced at her, probably weirded out by a Blight mumbling to herself. 

She snapped herself from her stupor, her eyes landing on Boscha and Skara. The duo was sitting at the bench outside the library, chatti away. It was their usual spot, where they would either sweep Amity away or wish her luck with a session. 

As if they could sense her, their heads snapped up to watch her approach. Their stares felt like pinpricks on her pale skin, like a predator stalking its prey. 

“What was the thing Ms. Castle needed after Calc?” Boscha placed a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes. “You get in trouble, Blight?” Her teasing tone was a familiar one, along with the condescending smile she wore. 

“She asked me to tutor one of her students. I have two weeks to get her ready for finals.” Even as she tried to keep her voice steady, the nerves seemed to have a mind of their own. 

Skara tilted her head. “Two whole weeks with one kid? Geez, how bad at math can they be?” 

Boscha picked at her nails a bit, not hiding her disinterest. “Whatever, I’m assuming this means our sleepover on Friday is cancelled then?”

At Amity’s nod, the rugby captain groaned. “Greaaaat. Now I have to reschedule everything, thanks Blight.” Her phone was already in hand, tapping away. 

“Who’s the student, anyway? Maybe they won’t be that much and you can get out of it early.”

She bit at the inside of her cheek. “Luz Noceda.”

Boscha nearly dropped her phone along with her jaw. “Luz? You mean the loud weeaboo with the cat hoodie? Didn’t she get expelled from her last school?” At Amity’s nod, the taller girl gave a poorly concealed smirk. “I have English with her. She won’t shut up about that cringey kid’s book she reads.”

Amity’s hardcover copy of the fourth Azura book weighed heavily in her bag. She felt her hands move to shove the guilty pleasure deeper amongst her textbooks. She managed to keep her expression blank, even if she tensed a bit. 

The other two girls seemed oblivious to her distress. They continued to bicker back and forth, with Skara cheesily playing up her sympathy for the tutor. Meanwhile, Boscha still seemed to find the whole situation amusing. 

“As much as I’d love to stay and chat, I really should get going. I don’t want to leave her waiting.” With a check of the clock, she only had about three more minutes of passing time to mentally prepare. 

Her friends wished her luck, falling into synchronized steps as they left. Amity could hear their whispers and giggles as they glanced back. 

With a deep breath, Amity pushed through the library doors to where she would spend her free time for the next two weeks. 

Now, glancing back at the clock for the fifth time, nearly ten minutes of their session had passed. There was still no word from Noceda. Debating whether or not to just pack up and leave, Amity felt herself begin to chew at her lip in frustration. 

If Luz wasn’t going to even bother showing up on time, then why should Amity bother to help? Did the other girl even care about her studies? Was this just going to be a dreadfully slow two weeks of awkward silence, filled with Amity attempting to coax her to even attempt a practice problem? 

The near absolute silence of the library was getting to her, the occasional flip of a page or scratching of a pencil acting as her only break from the incessant  _ nothing _ . 

She shook her head, figuring the other girl wasn’t coming. A petulant sigh escaped her as she began to pack her pencils and notebook back into her bag. 

Then the glass doors slammed open, turning the handful of heads scattered about the library. 

Feet pounded against the faded carpet, and suddenly a short girl with scruffy hair and a lopsided smile was sliding into the seat across from Amity. “Sorry I’m late!” Colorful pens were being poured out of the girl’s fraying bag, landing on the table with a clatter. “I had to get my ride home figured out, and then I forgot my phone in my last class, and then I forgot my computer in my  _ other  _ class-” 

“Just don’t let it happen again.” 

She nodded, plopping a beaten up plastic folder in front of them both. “Can do!”

An energetic hand was held out to Amity, accompanied by the same carefree smile. “I’m Luz Noceda.”

_ Oh believe me, I am VERY aware. _

__ Taking a moment to look between her alight eyes and the offending hand, she carefully reached out to shake it. “Amity Blight.” 

The grip between them was stiff and awkward, Luz’s more excitable introduction clashing with Amity’s practiced formalities. 

Thankfully, they broke away and Luz began to speak more. The tutor watched as she flipped through pages of scribbled out numbers and playful doodles. She landed on a recently dated quiz, stamped with a large red F. Amity felt the corners of her mouth curl down, imagining the embarrassment that would follow such a grade. 

However, Luz didn’t seem deterred by the sight. Instead, she grabbed one of her sparkly pens. “I really thought I was going to do better this time.. but I guess not!” Her laugh was something bold and bubbly, mixed into her words. It felt strangely genuine. 

She turned to look at Amity, smile still stubborn on her face. “Thank you for offering to help me, by the way. Ms. Castle said you were really smart, and a really good tutor.”

Doing her best not to preen at the praise (from a  _ teacher _ no less), Amity reached for the quiz. “It’s no issue.” She scanned through the paper, trying not to linger over the familiar drawings lining the margin.

Amity ripped a free sheet of paper from her notebook, writing out a practice quiz. She copied several of the questions, only switching up the numbers or adjusting graphs. 

“You have really nice handwriting.”

She paused, looking to the other girl. Once again meeting that blasé smirk, Amity felt conflicted. “Pardon?”

“You have really nice handwriting! It’s so fancy and pretty, mine is all..” Luz blew a raspberry, sticking her tongue out. 

Sparing a moment to compare their respective shorthand, Amity found herself struggling to not thrive off of the compliment. “Thank you.”

Luz continued to watch Amity’s pencil work with concentrated precision. She attempted to focus, doing the mental math to assure that no equation ended with a complicated decimal or imaginary number. 

Just as Luz popped her mouth open to continue the conversation, Amity slid the paper across to her. “I’ll judge what you know based off of this, and we can figure out a set schedule.” Luz nodded eagerly, clicking a tacky looking pen. The pink gem on the end lit up, illuminating the paper with a soft pink glow. She got to work, tongue poking from her lips in concentration. 

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to be as disinterested and aloof as she feared from someone with such a reputation. All she had to do was get through the next two weeks without disappointing Ms. Castle. 

As the minutes dragged by, Amity rested her hand in her palm. She scrolled through her phone lazily, checking the time every moment it crossed her mind. She was sure it had been 3:18 for the past half hour. 

Right when Amity was about to check her progress, Luz proudly slapped the paper in front of her. “Done!” She clicked the pen off, and bounced in her chair. It creaked under her energetic movement. “I don’t know if I did very well, but I’m confident I did better than last time!”

Bringing out her pencil, the green-haired girl narrowed her eyes at the paper. “We’ll see about that.” Her voice was more stern than she planned it on being, but Luz didn’t seem to cower at the tone. 

When she was writing out the quiz, it seemed fairly simple. Some combine like terms, factoring, nothing too complicated. Looking over Luz’s work however…

She felt her brows knit. She bit at the inside of her cheek, trying to figure out where to start. Luz’s work was covered in arrows and disorganized notes. Following the written train of thought was like working through a mental maze, and when she had made it through it was riddled with simple mistakes. Luz added when she was supposed to subtract, and she combined mismatched variables. 

Leaning her head in a hand, Amity let out a deep sigh. “Not any better then…?” She could hear the nervous smile in the brunette’s voice. Amity’s only response was the continuous scratch of her pencil. 

Once the paper was covered in a visual cacophony of writings and crossed out answers, she held up the quiz. She glared at the object, wishing she could just magically fix the mistakes. 

Unaware of the absolute mess she had proved to be, Luz’s dark eyes sparkled with determination. “How’s it looking??”

“We have a lot of work to do.” The girl across from her deflated just a pinch, shoulders sagging. “I’ll start by walking you through the ones you got wrong. Which is.. most of them.”

Luz nodded, leaning her elbows on the table to get a better look. Amity slid the paper horizontally, so they could see her work from their respective angles. 

Gliding through the problem, Amity watched from the corner of her eyes as the tip of Luz’s tongue once again jutted out. She boxed her answer, and offered the pencil to Luz. “Make more sense?” 

The nod that followed wasn’t nearly as confident as it was minutes earlier. “What don’t you understand?”

Shrugging, she continued with her goofy curled smile. “All of it, I guess!” 

Something fizzy and hot curled through her chest, a spike of frustration she quickly subdued. “Can you be a little more specific?” She tapped the pencil against the hardwood table to release some of the building energy.

Luz hummed, absentmindedly clicking her pen. “I mean… the beginning I think? Why wouldn’t you square both the x and three? That’s why they’re in the parentheses, right?”

Black painted nails came to pinch at the bridge of Amity’s nose. “You don’t distribute the exponent. Haven’t you been paying attention at  _ all _ ? That’s one of the biggest things Ms. Castle warns about.” 

The blank stare she received told Amity all she needed to know. She tore another sheet of paper from one of her notebooks, making sure to follow along the seam for a perfect page. 

“Okay, so when you start..” she worded everything as plainly as she could, trying to ward away any confusion Luz may gather. She included every part, listing the steps, sketching down every number of mental math. 

Once again circling the answer, she looked up to the other girl. “Does that clear it up?”

Luz shrugged, that stupid smile stubbornly stuck in place. “I don’t know. I couldn’t see what you were doing, it was all upside down.”

Processing this, Amity’s hold on her pencil tightened. Even with her pale skin, the white-knuckled grip became clear. “Why didn’t you mention something sooner??”

Another shrug. “You seemed really into it, I didn’t want to interrupt the process. Plus it was fun to watch you work, with how loopy and scoopy your handwriting is.” She drew a few loop-de-loops in the air, mimicking Amity’s. 

“Could we  _ please _ focus?” Her words were sharp, each consonant biting. “We only have so much time and I’d really not prefer to spend the next few weeks stuck with you.”

It must have finally gotten through to Luz, as her smile fell away in place of something more neutral. “You don’t have to be so mean.”

“Look- neither of us want to be here, right?” Luz’s eyes flickered to the floor for a moment, before locking back onto Amity. “The sooner we get this done, the sooner I can go back with my friends, and you can get back to.. whatever you do.

“So let’s stop with the friendly thing, and the-” she scribbled her pencil in the air, recreating Luz’s motion. “-that. You’re here for your grade, and I'm here for my extra credit. Nothing more.”

Amity must have struck a nerve somewhere along the way, because once the cloudy haze of frustration finally cleared, she saw Luz was looking down to the floor again.

Pangs of guilt swept Amity away for a moment, before she returned to her senses.

Luz was a troublemaker. She broke the rules without care, and she didn’t work for her grades. Rumor had it that she even got expelled from her last school for something  _ big.  _ Luz was everything Amity refused to be. 

If she had to play the bad guy to set the girl straight, then so be it. 

A deep sigh escaped her chest, and a hand reached to run through her hair. “Let’s take a break.” She stood, pushing her chair in. “I need a drink anyway.” 

Luz nodded back, reaching for the paper Amity had written out. She clicked her pen once again, rewriting the processes in her sketch-filled notebook. Her tongue stayed obediently in her mouth this time. 

She watched for a moment, unable to shake the sense of misguided guilt still crawling up her spine. It wasn’t Amity’s fault, being stern proved to be the only way to get Luz’s attention, and to wipe away that stupid smirk. That’s how teachers dealt with troublemakers, so that’s what she would do. 

Grabbing for her bag, Amity couldn’t decide why she still felt so off. She figured that getting as much work done as possible would be the clear answer, but-

As she swung her bag over her shoulder, a loud  _ thunk _ echoed through the library. A couple of heads turned, and Amity quickly kneeled to scoop up the notebooks and papers that had gone flying. 

She didn’t need a mirror to tell that her face was likely turning a shade of pink. First being publicly held after class, then snapping at Luz, now this? Today really was falling apart. 

Making sure all of her folders were still in color-coordinated order in her bag, something heavy sunk in her stomach. It was missing. It wasn’t there and that means- 

“You read  _ Good Witch Azura _ ??” The barely restrained surprise that shimmered in Luz’s voice made the blush come back with a vengeance. 

Amity stood and reached to snatch it from the thief. “Give that  _ back _ . It’s- it’s not even mine!!” Luz held her firm grip on the book, and that ridiculous smile was back.

“What about these adorable drawings inside of you as Hecate??” Amity’s shaking hands drew away as Luz flipped to one of the several dog-eared pages. Sure enough, her lanky finger pointed straight to one of Amity’s doodles. Not even one of the better ones. 

If she wasn’t red before, she certainly was now. From anger or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell. She clenched her eyes shut, refusing to see the face the other girl wore. “Please just- please give it back.” She hated how desperate her voice sounded, but she couldn’t risk anyone catching her with a children’s book. “Look, I’m sorry for being snappy, or whatever you want to hear- I just-”

“I can lend you the fifth one if you’d like.”

Her left eye pried open, peeking to look at Luz. The smile she wore wasn’t what she was expecting in the slightest. It wasn’t malicious or teasing, or even goofy and bubbly like before. It was much softer… more hopeful?

All Amity could do was blink bearily as she attempted to process Luz’s reaction. 

“I mean, since this one's all marked up only to a certain point. I guess I assumed you haven’t finished it yet.” Luz’s eyes lit up a bit as she spoke. “When you’re done you can borrow the fifth one from me.” The light only got worse when Amity nodded dumbly. She was planning to finish the fourth when the latest volume was returned to the library- there was no way she’d be seen buying the book for herself. 

“That.. would be nice. Thank you.” Her voice clearly hadn’t recovered, still timid and quiet. She hoped no one other than Luz heard her. 

The other girl’s warm eyes sparkled more, the subtle smile pulling into a full blown cheese. Teeth and all. “Great! Then-”

A chime blared from Amity’s phone. She recognized the sound, she didn’t need to check the time to realize that it was already 3:45. 

Luz craned her neck to look at the clock, and then directed her attention back at Amity. “I can bring it tomorrow. So you have.. something else to come for. Other than just extra credit.” 

The icy guilt that had piled in her stomach doubled at Luz’s words. What was happening? This isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Luz was a troublemaker, a delinquent with no regard for the rules, not a-

A solid, familiar weight returned to her as Luz laid the Azura book into her hands. Amity pulled it to her chest protectively, dumbfounded. 

“Same time tomorrow?”

She nodded. 

“Great!” Luz flashed a final smile, and swiped up her things. All of the pens and papers were tossed in her bag, jumbled in a chaotic mess. 

Amity clutched the book closer as she watched Luz leave with a wave. Confusion and embarrassment and  _ everything _ clouding her mind, preventing her from any rational thinking. 

When she finally returned to her senses, she realized that alarm was still sounding. She reached to turn it off, face still hot. 

_ What in the world just happened? _


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Amity struggles at lunch, and Luz keeps a promise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooooo~  
> I hope you're all doing well!!  
> I'm sorry this chapter is kind of short, the plot should start fully setting in in the next chapter!!  
> I also wanted to thank you all for the overwhelming support for the first chapter!! This is super fun to write, and all of your kind words make my heart go 💕💖🥺💖💕💖💕💕💖💕🥺💕💖💖  
> Alright, enough from me. Enjoy!!

“So? How’d it go?”

Amity’s focus readjusted from her homework to the redhead across from her. 

Boscha had already finished her lunch, leaning back in her chair. Her arms were crossed and her legs splayed out under the table, taking up as much space as possible. It seemed that her interests lay in pestering Amity. “Was it as miserable as you thought?”

Mid-chew, Skara held a hand to cover her mouth. “Don’t be dumb, it was probably _worse_!” Despite doing the bare minimum to stay polite, she still smacked at her food like it was a new piece of bubblegum. 

Both pairs of eyes bore into Amity, who desperately just wanted to finish her homework. 

Giving into the pressure, she sat up straight. She looked between the pair, calculating how to describe yesterday’s interaction with Luz. 

“It was…” she imagined the girl busy at work, her eyebrows drawn together in concentration, a leg bouncing under the table, her tongue poking from her mouth.

There was no way she could say any of that _._

“... interesting.”

Boscha raised an eyebrow. “Interesting?” She kicked a leg over the other, crossing them at the knee, causing her to sit at her full height. “C’mon, you’ve gotta give us more than that.” She punctuated her words by snatching an apple from Skara’s tray and crunching into it.

“We can talk about it later, okay? I need to focus.” A freshly sharpened pencil twirled between Amity’s fingers. “I really don’t have time to do Lang homework tonight.”

Skara leaned to peek over Amity’s left shoulder, a little too close for her liking. “But you’re working on Anatomy.”

She scooted away from the intruder. “Exactly.” 

Just as Skara opened her mouth, likely to question Amity more, a familiar glint flickered in Boscha’s eyes. They weren’t pointed at Amity anymore either, instead following along something- or someone- moving behind her. 

She tried to zero in on the vocab words in front of her, anxiously biting at her lip. Amity couldn’t deal with this today. 

“Hey Willow!”

Too late. 

The aforementioned girl paused as she passed the side of their table. Amity cautiously glanced up to see. 

Her sight met Willow’s almost immediately. The dark haired girl’s jaw was tense, the grip on her lunch tray tight. She stared directly at Amity for a moment, before both broke away. Amity went back to her homework as Willow turned straight ahead. 

Amity tried to tune out the vicious words Boscha spat. Even in their usual patronizing tone, she knew how bad they could sting. 

There was a time where she would take part in the game, when she would catch Willow after science, or walking alone during passing time.

She was the mouse, and Amity was the taunting cat, sharing the same mean spirited glint as Boscha. Dishing out the same honeysweet, condescending words. 

Back then, it was an act. The nail in the coffin to prove that she and Willow were through once and for all. Amity would especially kick up the act around her friends to save face. Boscha was (and still is known) for relaying any information to her mom, who would certainly pass on any absurd behavior to Amity’s own mother. 

She could _not_ have that. 

But as time went on, their old memories covered in dust. Forgotten and ignored, the act melted away too. All Amity was left with was an icy, bitter feeling nestled in her stomach.

Just thinking of their Middle School years caused something inside her to squirm, making her insides feel hollowed out and rotten. 

_Focus._ She reminded herself, her cheek picked raw from the absentminded chewing. _Get the work done, and it’ll all go away_. 

Honing in on the marks of her pencil, Amity tuned out the patronizing gross of Boscha’s insults. 

— 

A loud smack of hands against the table yanked Amity from her head. She found straight two warm brown eyes staring at her. 

“Are you ready?” The corners of Luz’s mouth quirked up. She was doing a poor job of containing her blatant excitement. Her tan hands were splayed on the table, fingers drumming against the wood. 

Giving into the game, Amity set her pencil down. “For what, exactly?” 

Instead of an answer, Luz smiled more. She heaved her bag onto a chair, before digging through it. 

She bounced up from her heels to her toes, catching the eyes of a few bystanders. Even worse, Luz began to dramatically hum a cheesy fanfare. It crescendo as she slowly pulled something from the chaos of her bag. 

Amity crossed her arms and watched as a hardcover book was revealed. 

Luz twirled, holding the mysterious thing to her chest, before landing in an energetic lunge. She nearly clipped her chin on the edge of the table. 

“Ta-da!!” One hand was in the air, giving jazz hands for some form of flourish. The other held-

“The fifth Azura book?” Amity scanned the library, making sure no one’s attention was held by Luz’s shenanigans.

Deciding the coast was clear, she took the bait. The cover was so smooth and clean under her fingertips. 

“Wow- you got some quick grabbers.” Luz pulled herself from the floor, and flopped into her chair. 

Amity shook her head, tracing the cover art with her index finger. “You actually brought it?”

“Sure I did!” Luz leaned her head in a palm, elbow propped on the table. “I told you I would.”

Flipping through the pages, Amity was pleasantly surprised at the decent state of the novel. Sure, the spine was cracked- but there weren’t any creases in the pages, or notes written in the margins like in her own copies. 

Looking at Luz, she set the book on the table carefully. It was odd that Luz would show her this undeserved kindness. Amity half expected it to be a joke. “Thank you.” Her words were awkward and stiff even as she tried to seem genuine. 

The beaming grin Luz offered in response clued that she took it well. “Of course!” 

Disbelief still swirled in Amity’s thoughts. She scrutinized Luz for any signs of breaking character, or a phone sneakily recording their private moment.

She was pulled from her staring-session by a tapping noise. “I’m assuming this is important?”

“Hm?” Amity followed the point of the tacky gem-pen Luz held to the schedule she was working on. “Oh- right.” 

Stowing the book into her bag, Amity began to describe their plan. 

They would meet every day after school, from 3 to 4. The only exception would be Fridays, given that Amity would need the day to recharge from being around Luz so consistently. Her constant high energy really drained her the day before, leaving her returning home feeling strangely lightheaded. 

Not to mention she would need at least one day to study for herself, cutting down her homework load at lunch only helped so much. 

Luz agreed to the plan with a curt nod, leaning her elbows on the table to properly see. “Sounds great!” 

“If that’s settled then...” Amity ripped a few clean pages of paper from a notebook, sliding one to Luz’s side of the table. 

She flipped through a few practice quizzes she had written out the night before. She had made sure to write them all on a lower level. They would increase difficulty as the sessions went by. “I want you to show your work on that scrap paper, so the page doesn’t get too cluttered this time.”

When she was met with silence, Amity glanced up from her small variety of worksheets. 

Luz’s eyes were sparkly again, glued to the page with an awestruck expression. “What?” Amity questioned. They didn’t have the time for this-

“I knew you doodled, but you didn’t tell me you liked to actually draw!!” The other girl flipped the page around, presenting it like a proud child would to a parent. 

Sure enough, Amity recognized the drawing as one of her own. 

She could feel heat rise to her face, and she was sure that Luz noticed her blush by the way her smile widened. 

Amity looked to her notebook, betrayed by her own frazzled mind that she was careless enough to offer Luz her guilty pleasure on a silver platter. 

She quickly stole back the offending art, crumpling it into a ball. “You didn’t see anything.” 

Tearing a second, _empty_ page from the spiral notebook, Amity heard Luz speak up. “There’s no need to be embarrassed about-”

Swallowing her frustration, Amity shoved the paper ball into the bottom of her bag, likely to be thrown away later. “You don’t need to rub it in. I know it’s stupid.” Luz’s kind tone was something familiar in the worst way. Every time that twisted, overtly sappy lilt was used she felt her chest tighten, making her feel small.

Luz had already been open about the Good Witch Azura series by some stroke of luck- but Amity had learned. She should know better by now. The things she enjoyed were strange, and annoying, and-

“It’s not stupid.”

Amity blinked up at Luz, the girl wearing a quasi stern look. Her eyes were hardened and focusing directly at Amity. She missed the smile. 

Nonetheless, what should have just been an offhand comment filled Amity with a weird feeling in her chest. “Oh.” She could only imagine the look on her face. “Thank you.”

Brushing off Amity’s reaction, Luz cocked her head. “Soooo... are you gonna show me more?”

More drawings? Absolutely not. Why would she ever even-

“I’ll show you some of mine~”

Amity paused, and chewed at her lip. She averted her gaze to the floor.

Maybe it was the sing-songy voice, or the casual nature of the offer, or even just the fact that she hadn’t immediately laughed her away, but Amity almost _wanted_ to show more of her drawings with the girl. 

She had always wanted to be able to show them to someone, get some proper feedback other than an eyeroll or a snicker. And here was Luz, offering with a promise to show hers in return. 

“... I’ll think about it.”

The brunette jumped up from her chair, pumping her fist in success. “WHOO!!” A boastful smirk was in place of her usual soft smile. “Good enough for me!!”

She was then ushered back into her seat by the chorus of shushes that swept through the library. Amity had to cough into her fist to cover up a simper. 

Luz stage whispered an apology to the crowd, and sat back in her chair. Her hands clasped together on the table. “Practice quiz?”

Realizing she was still holding the new sheet of paper in her hands, Amity nodded and passed it across. “Practice quiz.”

Luz glared at the slip in front of her, a determined glint in her chocolate eyes. “Ahora solo somos tú y yo…” She muttered, and Amity blinked in response. Was that Spanish?

The girl worked diligently between the two pieces of paper, bouncing back and forth in a strange sort of rhythm. It was kind of amusing to watch. 

As she went, Amity took the time to finish up her extra Lang homework. Just a few annotations and critical thinking questions. It wasn’t that the work was hard, it was that there was a lot.

While focusing on her own work, she realized that the scratching of Luz’s pencil had stopped. She looked up, slightly confused as to why Luz had paused.

She was watching Amity, head in her palm with a charming grin. Her pen was laying on her paper, all of the questions filled out and answers underlined. 

“How long have you been done??”

A shrug. 

“Why didn’t you say anything??”

Another shrug. “I did! You didn’t respond so I figured I’d let you finish your stuff before giving you mine.” Proving her claim, Luz slid over the two scraps of paper. 

Amity began to look over Luz’s work. 

Many of the mistakes were still present, though it was slightly easier to decipher where she went wrong without the space limitation.

She circled the mistakes Luz had made, her eyes darting across the puzzle of numbers and arrows to follow the runaway train of thought. 

“Can you explain to me how you got the vertex here?” She tapped her pencil against the page. 

The gears in the taller girl’s head visibly began to churn, as her eyes concentrated on the table. A beat passed and she blew her lips in a raspberry. “Remind me what a vertex is again?”

“The point on a parabola where the curve changes direction.”

Luz nodded exaggeratedly, the crease in her brow stuck in place. 

Sighing, Amity jotted down a few notes. “You don’t know what that means do you?” 

At Luz’s slightly defeated head shake, Amity sketched out a tall, open bell shape to begin her explanation. 

Interestingly enough, as she lectured on, her student followed decently well. Yes, Amity would occasionally have to tap her page to regain Luz’s attention, or repeat her sentences every so often, but by the end both of their pages held detailed notes and even a few diagrams. 

Eventually, Luz could differentiate linear, quadratic, and exponential equations with about 65% accuracy! 

Thought Amity did have to awkwardly tilt the paper between them, writing sideways so they could both see. 

At one point, Luz leaned in just a _little_ too close, and the girls bumped heads. Luz laughed it off and apologized, while Amity attempted to reel the pair back on track. 

In all honesty, it wasn’t an awful session.

They were fairly productive. Between Luz’s comprehension, and Amity doing homework while Luz practiced. 

And... admittedly, it wasn’t suffocating to sit through. 

Just as the tutor was retrieving Luz’s third practice quiz of the day, a jarring sound wailed from her phone. It nearly made her jump up from her chair. 

Was it 4 o’clock already?

“Oh- wow! Time flies when you’re learning, apparently.” The dark haired girl gave Amity one of her normal smiles, but it was the same one from yesterday. With that weird softness.

They must have knocked foreheads harder than Amity originally thought, she was starting to feel oddly lightheaded. 

Blocking out the thought, Amity started packing up her things. Her eyes glued to the shiny hardcover book in her bag. “When do you want it back?”

“Want what?” Luz’s voice was muffled by the loud swishing of papers she was stuffing into her backpack. 

Amity tilted her head to gesture, careful that the few stragglers of people didn’t overhear. “The book.”

“Oh- it’s no rush! Whenever works for you.” Luz swung the somehow still intact knapsack over her shoulder. A few scraps of paper stuck out from under the flap. “I’m just excited to have someone to talk about it with! Like, in person.”

Tucking her hair back into place, Amity nodded. “Me too.” She was still hesitant to fully give into the charade, just in case Luz decided to blab about their secret to anyone else. 

Just a few days ago, Amity would have expected as such. 

“Same time tomorrow?” That stupid, warm smile. 

“Same time tomorrow.”

Luz pointed two eager finger guns to Amity, along with a well placed wink. “Get home safe!”

Watching her stroll to the entrance, walking fully from her heel to her toes in an endearing bounce, Amity wasn’t so sure if any of her assumptions of Luz would hold up. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!!  
> I hope you guys all enjoyed, and feel free to leave any thoughts or criticisms in the comments, I'm always looking to improve my writing, or have a lil discussion.  
> Make sure you drink some water and grab a snack.  
> Take care!! I love you all <333


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The duo have a less conventional tutoring session, and Amity accepts a truth about their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAA guys????  
> Thank you all SO SO MUCH for the love this fic is getting!!!  
> I adore reading every single one of your comments, and we’re at 40 bookmarks??? 2000 Hits?????? yall are Absolutely Insane thank you so so much ;_;  
> Anywhoooo  
> My school and town are being hit by corona, which has both left me with 1. So Much more freetime and 2. So Much less motivation lol  
> Hopefully I can just kick myself into gear and get the chapters out more consistently!!  
> Anyway, thank you so much for stoppin’ by, and I hope you enjoy :D!!

Of course. 

A big rolling whiteboard was blocking the library doors, the words ‘Closed for Teacher Conferences’ in bold bock letters. 

She was too tired to deal with this today. Between finishing homework (and the last few chapters of the fourth Azura book) she admittedly didn’t get much sleep. 

Glaring at the stupid blue ink, Amity crossed her arms, bringing her Calc textbook closer to her chest. Why hadn’t there been any announcements? Did people use the library  _ that little _ that the school board didn’t deem it necessary to give a heads up?

What was she supposed to do about-

“Well dang!” Amity jumped at the sudden voice beside her. Speak of the Devil and she shall appear. 

Luz had her head tilted to the side, like looking at the words from a different angle would reveal another message. She tapped her foot, before looking to Amity expectantly.

Unprepared, Amity drummed her fingers against her hardcover book. “Cafeteria is out of the question, it’ll be way too loud. We can’t go into any classrooms since. Y’know.” She nodded to the whiteboard. “The teachers are all here.”

Something pinched in her mouth. She brought a hand up to her lip, only to find she had chewed her it partly raw.

Humming absentmindedly, Luz held the straps of her bag. “We could always go to my place!”

“Your place?” Amity was ready to strike the idea down. Going over to Luz’s felt too personal. It’d shatter the last remaining wall that kept them strictly as tutor and tutee. 

Then again, offering to swap drawings and lending books was a little more friendly than teacher-student, wasn’t it?

Friendly? Did that mean they were-

“Yup!” The way Luz popped the ‘p’ 

reminded Amity of how Skara would smack her food. “It’s just a short walk from here. About…” she stretched out the word, counting on her fingers for a moment. “Five minutes.” 

That might actually work. They’d be a little crunched for time, but as long as Amity left a few minutes before her alarm went off, she could beat Em and Ed to the school, and her family would be none the wiser. 

“Didn’t you say you needed a ride to get home, though?” Amity recalled Luz’s excuse on their first day. It was strange to acknowledge they only started two days before. 

Luz looked confused for a moment, before her eyes widened in understanding. Amity could practically see the glow from the lightbulb over her head. 

“Oh! Nah.” She waved a dismissive hand, leading the other girl to the main entrance. “Eda takes me to the shop sometimes to help sweep and stock and stuff. That’s only sometimes though, so we should be fine!” Amity nodded along at Luz’s rambles, pretending to know what she was talking about. 

The girl’s voice droned away, swept up in the sea of other conversations. They filed into the mass of people, all pushing and pulling every which way to make it to their direction. 

Amity blinked, and then Luz was also lost to the stormy cloud of people. She stood on the tip of her toes (heels could only do so much), scanning for the familar mop of dark curls. 

Just before having to call out her name, something warm grabbed her hand. 

Luz pulled Amity to the edge of the swarm, where they could comfortably walk without being shoved around. “Sorry- I forget how pushy people are! Anyway, what was I saying?”

Holding onto the anchor of Luz’s hand, Amity was led away from the crowd. “Something about ‘Eda’ and a shop they take you to…?”

“Oh! Right. Eda’s my friend! Or more a family friend? She’s really close with my mom. She used to babysit me when I was little. Or, my Mom says  _ I _ used to babysit  _ her. _ ” She sighs fondly, nostalgia shimmering in her eyes. “O, the mischief we would get into.”

Amity nodded. She couldn’t remember any of the people her parents would hire to watch over her and the twins. She could only vaguely imagine a wobbly outline of a figure. Never could she picture having a close relationship with them. 

Suddenly tugged across the street (Luz still hadn’t let go of her hand), Amity was met with a quiant little home. It wasn’t anything like her house, the lawn a little unkempt other than an attempted garden by a pale fence.

Speaking of garden, there were a  _ lot  _ of plants. Various shapes and sizes of pots lined up by the door, with an assortment of equally diverse flora. 

Luz bounced up the sidewalk, where Amity could almost make out a few outlines of washed away chalk. 

The girl gently let go of Amity’s grip, leaning down to reveal a key under one of the potted plants. Amity interlocked her hands together to try to mimic the warmth. 

Turning the key with a satisfying  _ click! _ , Luz headed inside. 

“Mom!” She called, flicking a lightswitch. “Estoy en casa!” 

When there was no response, Luz popped her hands on her hips. “Hm. She must not be home yet.”

A glance around the space gave Amity more information than the exterior. The room was fairly small, with many trinkets and photos of memorabilia covering any surface space or free expanse of wall. The smell of clean laundry and something vaguely citrusy permeated the whole room. She shuffled, the rug feeling strange under her shoes. 

Her train of thought was knocked free as Luz grabbed her hands- for the _second_ _time_ \- and used her force to loop Amity in a twirl. “Looks like we’ve got the place to ourselves!” 

The stupid, squishy rug nearly tripped her, along with something weaving between her legs. 

She jumped away from the mystery blob- only for Luz to scoop it up with her classic smile. “Well, except for King.” The blob retorted with distressed wiggles and mewls. 

In Luz’s hands was the most strange looking cat-thing Amity had ever laid eyes on. It had strange markings on its head, with dark patches around the eyes and snout making it resemble a skull. Not to mention the notch taken out of their left ear. The only way Amity would be able to recognize him from a feral cat was the red collar looped around his neck, with a shining gold pendant. 

“Who’s a cutie pie?” Luz scratched behind the cat’s ears, muting his squirms for freedom into a twitch of his fluffy tail. “Amity- meet King!”

She looked the crabby creature up and down. “King?”

“Short for King of Demons!!” Luz swung the cat around a bit, pressing a long kiss to his forehead. “Isn’t that right, lil’ baby. You’re an absolute menace.”

As if somehow offended by her words and babytalk, King let out another loud cry. He leaped from Luz’s arms onto the carpet before scurrying away. 

Unaffected, Luz kicked off her vans. “We joke that he actually owns the house, and he just allows us to live in it.”

Amity just nodded dumbly, watching the white-tipped tail slink around a corner. “Must be fun having pets.” She mirrored Luz, kneeling to untie and slip off her boots. 

She balanced her bag on a table, retrieving her Calc folder and section of papers separated for tutoring. She nearly dropped all of it at the dramatic gasp from behind her.

“What??” She turned to the other girl, covering her concern with an annoyed tone. 

Luz’s face was lit up, her palms pressed to her cheeks. She hopped in place, an adoring grin stuck on her face. “You’re shorter than me!!”

Amity blinked in response. Her face began to heat, as it always seemed to do during their sessions. Oddly enough, it didn’t feel to be out of anger. “S-so?”

Luz giggled- actually  _ giggled _ . “You’re tiny  _ and _ blushing? It’s adorable.” She playfully booped Amity’s nose. 

Okay- now the blush could be more from frustration. “No I’m not!” The childish stomp of her foot didn’t have the impact she wanted, her sock meeting the plush with a benign  _ whump. _

Siddling up next to her, Luz put a hand flat on top of Amity’s head. Bringing it close to her, her fingers tapped to just below her eyebrow, probing that Amity only reached about Luz’s eyes. “Shortie.” 

Amity held her Calc notebook to her chest, desperate to not give into the game. “Can we just get this done, please?”

With another laugh, Luz finally showed remorse. “If you insist, Tiny-Mity.” She ruffled Amity’s hair, in a way that felt similar to Edric’s attempts to baby her. 

Ignoring the horribly executed nickname, Amity wandered further into the house. The wallpaper was a gentle cream, with a few mysterious stains scattered about. 

“Oh! How could I forget-” Luz hurried over to a few cabinets, in the section of the room Amity could consider a kitchen. 

Rubbing her hands together dramatically, Luz looked up at the shelves. “With Eda gone, we get all of the good snacks to ourselves!!” Popping onto her tippy toes, Luz searched through the cupboards. 

After a moment of observing the display, Amity noted a colorful stash in a large plastic tupperware sitting on top of the refrigerator. “Is that what you’re looking for?” 

Luz turned, and followed Amity’s pointing hand. Her sunny expression turned sour. “Of course… thanks Eda.”

Jumping up and down on the balls of her feet, the treasure trove of treats was just barely out of Luz’s grasp. Amity snickered. “Who’s the short one now?”

Luz stared at her a moment, a spark in her dark eyes. “Oh yeah?” She crossed her arms, daring Amity to proceed with her taunts. “You try and reach it.”

Wait- no, backtrack. They’re here for  _ school.  _ No way that was going to escalate. “Don’t you have a step stool or something?” Amity glanced around, slightly disoriented in her new surroundings. She didn’t want to poke around out of fear of being nosy or intrusive. 

“No need!” Luz exclaimed heroically. Before Amity could properly question her, the brunette zipped back toward the front entrance. She swung open a closet door, digging around in a mess of coats and dust. 

“Luz?” Amity watched, completely bewildered as the girl pulled out a tall broom. She brushed away a stray cobweb that snagged her hair, coughing up more dust.

Curiosity and their previous properties clashed in her mind, both wanting to remind Luz that they had a session to attend, and to watch Luz’s plan unfold. “What’re you-” The taller girl stride back to the kitchen, sights set on the basket of goodies. 

“Juuust a sec!” Luz held the broom with both hands, angling and hooking the handle of the broom under the grip of the box. “Almost got it-” she tugged a few times, bringing it closer to the edge, before stepping on the broom itself, bristles crunching and spreading across the floor. 

She shoved the handle out of the way, now on her tiptoes, reaching as the giant tub of goodies fell into her open arms.

With a smug grin, Luz presented the box to Amity. She reached into the bucket and offered a bar of something sweet to Amity. “Hungry?”

Amity gingerly took the treat, fighting back an amused smile of her own. 

—-

Luz’s room was very different from her own. 

While there were similarities (it was surprisingly clean and she too had a large bookshelf lined with various YA novels and a few journals), the differences laid in the details. 

Where Amity’s room had cold hardwood, Luz’s space still had that soft carpet. Amity’s room often smelled of lavender, thanks to her overused candle collection, meanwhile Luz’s room seemed to be the source of the lemon smell from earlier. The purple walls were covered with posters and pinned up doodles, while Amity knew her own pale ones to be empty, save for a generic landscape painting above her bed. Though, even then it was purposed to cover up an unsightly char (thanks, Em and Ed). 

Luz sat on the edge of her bed, picking at a snack bag of chips. She had shown her homework assigned for the day, labeled ‘REVIEW’ in printed letters.

“It’s so we can study for the quiz on Friday. I thought it’d be fine, but…” she trailed off, giving the other girl a lopsided smile. “Clearly it didn’t go as planned.”

Amity glared at the sheet in front of her, nibbling at the candy bar Luz had gifted. Her growling stomach was thankful. 

Though on the page, a handful of the mistakes they had previously ironed out were back full force. “Luz- we already fixed this. It curves upward on one side, right? So it’s exponential.” She traced a finger along the example graph to prove her point. “So the x in the equation shouldn’t be squared by itself.”

Flopping dramatically back on the bed, Luz stared up to the ceiling, knocking some more chips loose from the bag. Amity was bounced in the aftershock. “I know! I’m sorry! I just get so nervous and confused because there’s so much- and it all just gets mixed up in a gross math smoothie!” Luz theatrically draped her arm over her forehead. 

“So much what?” Amity took a small bite of the bar, pointing the remaining sugar to the paper. She still learning how to properly speak Luz. 

“MATH.” She groaned, sitting up to face Amity. “It makes sense when you show me everything, but then I go to class and it’s like everyone is talking in a different language!

“It’s like… I can understand this stuff when you talk me through it, but in class Ms. Castle is just throwing new concepts at me!” Her eyes were narrowed, shoulders taught, frustration and confusion splitting from the seams. 

Amity looked back at the sheet, searching for a solution. “But it’s all review. None of this should be new to you.” She turned the paper in her hands, eyeing each little mistake Luz had marked down. “Didn’t you learn all of this already?” 

The shame that permeated Luz’s subtle head shake made Amity’s chest tighten. 

The other girl ran a hand through her hair, not managing to fix it’s wild nature. Amity couldn’t help but feel remorse for Luz. 

She watched as she opened her mouth a few times, like she was trying to put the words together properly. 

After a strange silence, Luz shifted on the bed, leaning against the wall. “When I came to Hexside, it was already the middle of the semester.” She wasn’t looking at Amity. “A lot of the math classes were full, and the only Algebra I class that fit my schedule was honors.” Why couldn’t she just look at Amity? “By the time I was put in the system Ms. Castle was already teaching stuff that was  _ way _ beyond anything I learned at…” 

A nervous laugh covered up the abrupt end to her explanation. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors by now. I know they say things.” Her hand dragged through her hair again, a few flyaways sticking out of position. 

_ Oh.  _ Amity assumed that Luz didn’t know about the whispers. Or, if she did, she assumed that they didn’t bother her. The way Luz crossed her legs and kept glancing away proved different. “Were you not expelled?”

“No- uh. I was.” The smile she plastered on felt plastic. She elbowed Amity, finally meeting her eyes again. “That place was bogus anyhow. Hexside is  _ way _ nicer. And besides- if I didn’t get in that fight then I wouldn’t have met you!”

“You got in a  _ fight? _ ”

Luz tensed a little, gaze averting to a stain on the carpet. “That wasn’t supposed to be the part you focused on.”

Too intrigued, Amity leaned closer. “What happened?” What in the world could have possibly happened to cause  _ Luz Noceda  _ to get into a fight?

She recognized how drastically her opinion of Luz had changed, but she brushed it aside when the other girl sighed. 

“It’s kind of a boring story.” She rubbed the back of her neck. Amity nodded and folded her legs under her, getting comfortable. “Oh. You actually want to hear- okay.” Her hands folded together, turning to fully face Amity. Their knees brushed awkwardly at the close proximity.

“I just saw someone shove this kid down, and I intervened.” Luz shrugged, twirling the gem pen between her fingers. “I can’t stand it when I see that kinda stuff. Bullies are the  _ worst _ .” She angrily bit down on a chip, as if that would prove her anger. 

Guilt clawed it way up Amity’s throat, settling on her tongue. She knew it was likely she was blanching, chewing her lip to keep from spiraling.

Luz must have misread her panic as concern, as she attempted to quell Amity’s plight. “It wasn’t anything serious-”

Might as well play along. “It got you  _ expelled _ .”

“Not really? I mean, I did a lot of things to get expelled. The fight was just like, the tipping point.” Luz shook her head, offering Amity another weak smile. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’m a pretty intense rebel.” 

Amity couldn’t hold back her snicker. “I certainly thought you were.” 

The corners of Luz’s mouth tugged into a more genuine smile, her eyes shining. Though, the tilt in her head and cinched eyebrows displayed her confusion. Clearing her throat, Amity glanced away. “I heard you caused a lot of… chaos. Since you came to Hexside.”

Her lost look stuck in place.

“When you were auditioning for the school play, or trying out for cheer?”

A sparkle of recognition flickered across the girl’s face. “Ohhhh, right! That was-” Luz shook her head, muttering something Amity couldn’t decipher. “My Mom suggested I should try for a few clubs and such. To try and make some friends.” 

Amity nodded back at her, silently cursing Skara for spreading gossip. “Oh.”

Luz laughed, forcing a pair of awkward fingerguns. “None of it worked.”

She cursed herself for listening to it. “... oh.”

Silence cut between them. As King wandered in, the only sound was the floor weighing under small padded feet, along with a light  _ tick _ with each step. She pushed the unfinished snack away, appetite replaced with the tossing of her stomach.

Amity was sick of the shame that clogged her throat, causing her to say nothing of value or comfort. Just ‘oh’.

The bed dipped a bit as a crabby cat hopped onto Luz’s bed. He made himself at home in the warmth of Amity’s lap. 

The sound of purring filled the air, and Luz ran her thin fingers along the cat’s fur. “Buuuut… now I have you!” Amity looked up to meet Luz’s hopeful expression. She elbowed Amity again, struggling a bit with the odd angle. “Who knew the key to making friends was to just be dumb?”

_ Friends? Was that what they were? _

Amity considered this for a moment. It felt… unfair to call Luz anything more than her student. Only three days ago she would have rather chewed her own leg off than be stuck in a room with Luz!

But now she was there, sitting in a room with Luz. Not just any room-  _ Luz’s bedroom.  _ Sitting knee to knee, the gentle rumble of a cat’s purr under her fingers. Amity didn’t even want to leave! 

Did that make them friends?

Shoveling away her quarrel for later, she focused on the other half of Luz’s claim. “You’re not dumb.”

“Yeah, right.” Luz snorted, picking at a string on her leggings. “If I’m so smart, how come I can’t understand the easiest concepts? You said yourself- we already went over all of this stuff!” 

If Amity’s legs weren’t housing King, she would have kicked herself. “No, wait- that wasn’t what I-” She took a breath, biting her lip to refocus. 

“That’s just because you were never taught it in the first place, and no one bothered to help you catch up.”

Luz was hard to read, staring at Amity with a pensive look. Her hands were holding tight onto the cream colored blankets they sat on. “It’s like- how can someone expect you to understand the plot of Azura if they made you skip the first book? You wouldn’t know any of the characters, or settings, or any of the magic-related words.” 

She scooped up the review packet, feeling something bubble in her chest. “How can someone expect you to get  _ this _ \- if you were never taught the ideas from before?”

Luz contemplated this for a second, staring at the piece of paper in Amity’s hands. “That doesn’t mean I’m smart…”

“Doesn’t make you dumb either.”

Luz kept looking at her, no goofy smile to be seen. Amity just wanted to see that stupid, Luz-ish smile. “What about you getting the snacks with the broom? I would have never thought of that! I probably would have been like: ‘Welp. No snacks for me.’ And walked away!

“The fact that you’re here, that you asked for help, and that you’re  _ trying  _ shows you care. And seeing how far you’ve gotten without any of the beginning stuff, I’d say that makes you plenty smart.”

Her face started to heat up as the reality of her words set in. Amity wished she had held her tongue sooner. Honesty and compliments weren’t necessarily her strong suit, she just appreciated Luz’s hard work! Where did that entire spiel even come from?

The brunette wasn’t giving her any answers either. Amity refused to look up from King’s purring body, watching her fingers loop though the matted fur. 

Then there was a high pitched noise, sending Amity to wonder if Luz had set a kettle out when she wasn’t looking. 

Meeting her eyes, Luz was squealing excitedly with a sparkle in her eyes. Amity was about to ask if everything was alright, when suddenly the weight in the bed beneath them shifted, King hurrying to escape the gangly limbs that tugged Amity into an embrace.

“I  _ knew _ you had a sweet side under that sour exterior!!” Though Luz’s exclamation was laced with giggles, the sincerely it held was clear as daylight. 

The taller girl swiveled them back and forth, rattling Amity in the tightest hug she’d felt in, well, years. The warmth of Luz’s hair pressed into her temples, and the overbearing scent of citrus clouded her mind. The way her mind centered on Luz’s arms wrapped around her middle made her wonder if she’d even been hugged in years. 

Of course, the thought was silly. She’d been hugged plenty of times. Though, maybe that would explain the way Luz’s skin along hers left hairs inexplicably raised and her nerves sizzling with a spark she couldn’t recognize. 

Realizing her inner monologue had rendered her frozen, leaving Luz to hug the equivalent of a brick wall, Amity hesitantly lifted her arms to reciprocate. 

The other girl was lean (and  _ yes _ , admittedly slightly taller), but the way she effortlessly clung to Amity made the lock together, bodies lining up in an oddly natural way. 

It was nice. 

The sound of a door clicking open somewhere in the house pulled Luz away, leaving Amity to lean after her, trying to chase the feeling. 

Quickly chiding herself for getting too caught up, she tilted away over the side of the bed, she was just getting something from her bag next to the bed! Not longing for another hug from Luz at all! 

“Mija! Are you home?” An unfamiliar voice called. 

“Yeah, Mom!” Luz was back to smiling, though it wasn’t as sparkly as usual. There was a gentleness to it, the way her teeth didn’t peek through, with just the edges of her lips quirking up. 

The moment evaporated just as soon as an older woman in blue scrubs poked her head into the room. “Who did I hear you talking to-” the words seemed to die on the woman’s tongue as her gaze fell to Amity. 

Noticing her sudden silence, Amity attempted to clear the air. “My apologies, uh- I’m Luz’s tutor. I know I should have gotten your permission before inviting myself over but the lib-”

“Luz why didn’t you tell me you were having someone over?” The woman’s tone was surprisingly calm, without a trace of indignation. In fact, the lilt in her words almost made her sound... excited? 

Hopping up from the bed, Luz nodded. “She’s helping me not fail algebra.” Gesturing to the mess of papers on the bed, the woman returned with a nod of her own. 

She offered a hand to Amity, olive skin peeking out from under her uniform. She had to kneel down a bit to match Amity’s height. “Camila Noceda, it’s nice to meet you.” 

On her cue, Amity returned the gesture, feeling the callouses lining Camila’s hands. “Amity Blight.” Luz must get her smile and eyes from her mom. They held the same tender glimmer. “It’s nice to meet you too Mrs. Noceda.”

“Oh, none of that. Camila is just fine.” Amity made the mental note to correct herself in the future. “Mija, is this the friend you’ve told me so much about?” The tease was lighthearted as she leaned back to her full height, hands on her hips.

Back to that same dumb question. Could she call Luz a friend?

Seeing Luz flustered was not something Amity thought she would see so soon. The girl looked to the wall opposite Amity, cheeks coloring slightly. “Mooooom...” she dragged the word out, like Camila had just revealed an embarrassing secret. 

Looking at the posters and drawings plastering nearly every corner of the wall, bookshelf filled with doggyeared books and cracked spines, Amity couldn’t ignore the vulnerability it held. Luz had openly invited her into her space, and piecing together Camila’s reaction and Luz’s story, it was likely that this wasn’t a common occurrence. 

Luz had opened herself up to Amity without expecting anything more than fractions and equations in response. 

The nervous sting in the room didn’t falter as Amity took a breath. 

“Yes. I am.” She nodded. “It’s nice to have her as a friend.” She realized that the statement wasn’t even untrue. She really had enjoyed Luz’s company, and could only hope Luz enjoyed hers as well. 

Their respective gazes met, something buzzing and flickering in Luz’s eyes.

Amity wondered if she held the same for Luz. 

After a moment, Amity realized the buzzing wasn’t from their connection. Her phone sounded it’s obnoxious alarm, muffled against the blankets. 

“Shoot-” Amity scooped up her things, tossing pencils and notebooks into her bag. _ How long had it been going off?  _ “I’m so sorry to cut this short, my ride’s waiting for me.” She didn’t mention how they would be all the way back at the school. 

“I can walk you back if you’d like.” Luz offered, helping to collect Amity’s things. 

“No, that’s alright-” She could only imagine the twin’s teasings if she got caught walking back late, with a _girl_ no less _._ “It really was nice to meet you, Mrs- uh, Camila.” 

The woman stepped further into the hallway so as to not block the frantic teenager. “You as well! You’re welcome to stop by any time, Amity.” 

Standing from the bed, surrounded by the lived-in home, Amity looked to Luz again. 

The girl gave her a slight nod and a stiff wave. Awkward wasn’t really a word she would associate with Luz, but it was certainly interesting to see. 

Amity gave a wave back and headed towards the door, speeding past the snack broom and a sleeping King. She patted his head goodbye, gaining a thankful chirp from the creature. 

Just as she was opening the front door, a breathless “Wait!” paused her in her tracks. 

Luz emerged from the hallway, a slip of paper in hand. “You forgot this.” She offered it with a nervous glance back toward her room. 

Taking the scrap, Amity worked it between her fingers. She didn’t remember even having it, though her mind was slightly distracted by the proud smile Luz wore. “Same time tomorrow?” 

Amity snorted. How cheesy. “Same time tomorrow.” She agreed, slipping the paper into her pocket before closing the door behind her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luz: *hugs amity  
> Amity: *windows error noises
> 
> Andnjsn seriously though, thank you for reading! This chapter is about 1,000 words longer than my usual, but hopefully that’s a good thing!!  
> Feel free to leave any feedback and critique in the comments, I love reading them and I’m always looking to improve.  
> As always PLEASE take care of yourself during these times, everything may feel out of control, but you will be okay. I love you very much!! Grab a snack and drink if you can, and have a great day!!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I can tell this is going to be a lot of fun.  
> I hope to finish my other fic before focusing on this one, but I make no promises.  
> I hope you all enjoyed!!  
> Feel free to comment and constructive criticism, I'm always looking to improve my writing!!  
> Make sure you grab a glass of water and get enough sleep tonight!! Thank you again for reading!!


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